reason.tv: Mississippi drug war blues

Another drug war related post and it should remind you of this earlier post. Throw in the dynamics of race into this with the police officer being white and the man charged with his murder being black. Of course there were apparently no drugs found on his property but he's been in custody since 2001. Still not only is race a dynamic in this story but the police tactics which was described in the write up for this video as "military tactics". It should disturb fair people if there is a reason to suspect that a person might have been railroaded.

Look up more here.

EDIT: I forgot to add a link to my earlier post!

From NBA glory to homeless shelter

This article is via Newsalert.

Gentlemen if you're looking at a sports career I would advise you to consider other means of making living beyond basketball in case your career doesn't turn out the way you thought it would. If you're not careful and you don't save your money you might not be living the high life you thought you would. In an extreme case you could be homeless.

When I saw this story I first though about former Chicago Bulls player Bob Love. Of course his only disability was his stuttering. His wife didn't want to be with a man who can't talk. He went from a basketball player to working in a cafetria. Of course both the man in the article and Mr. Love comes from an era before NBA players were signed to millionaire contracts.

Once the tables have been moved out of the way and the floor has been mopped, Joe Pace grabs a tan mattress off a stack, slides it into a corner and beds down at the Family and Adult Service Center on Third Avenue.

His feet hang over the edge of the mat, so he rolls up a blanket to support them. He shares the room with 60 people. He pays $3 a night for this privilege.

Thirty years ago next month, Pace slept in one of Seattle's finest hotels, though he can't remember which one, as a visiting pro basketball player for the Washington Bullets, sharing in an NBA championship won in this city at the expense of the Sonics.

A snack bar, room service and chocolate left on the pillow are no longer an option for this 6-foot-10 man, who is homeless in Seattle.

"Sometimes I don't want to wake up, I'm so sad," he said. "Sometimes I wake up crying and say, 'What did I do to be like this?' "

Instead of becoming a millionaire, Pace, 54, frequents the Millionair Club, another downtown facility for the destitute that provides meals and job leads. He sits at the front door as a security guard from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., wearing a gold badge and clutching a black walkie-talkie. He performs this chore more for something to do than as a source of income, regularly limping outside for cigarette breaks.

Pace spends the rest of his afternoons riding on buses, using a disabled passenger pass he bought for $8. He is afforded this right because he has degenerative disks in his back and is in need of surgery he can't afford on both knees. He takes trips to Woodinville and Tacoma, simply to kill time.

Then it's back to his homeless shelter. Pace usually is asleep by 8:30 or 9 p.m.

"NBA players are all looked at as millionaires, but a lot of guys back in those days didn't make it, and Joe is one of them," said Zaid Abdul-Aziz, a former Sonics forward. "The image of them as big, opulent people isn't always true. They take a fall sometimes."

Of all the things Pace longs for, the simple pleasure of soaking in a hot bathtub ranks near the very top. There have been the rare moments when he has paid for a hotel room just to turn on the water and give his aching, middle-aged body some needed relief. It beats the homeless shelter showers he considers risky at best in regards to good hygiene, especially when barefoot.

For that matter, he doesn't shake hands or exchange high-fives anymore with people he encounters in a similar situation, and he's friendly enough. Repeated colds and congested lungs have forced him to adopt this policy. Fist bumps are much healthier.

"That hand could have 5,000 germs on it," he said unapologetically.

Go read the whole thing and then look at the young man at your life and bring him back down to earth with this story.

What's Your Noble British Name?

Your Noble British Name Is:

Sir Geoffrey Edmund Portal

What's Your Noble British Name?

It's time for a little fun here. It's been a while!

What's with those 10% of black people who don't support Barack Obama?

Article via Althouse with hat-tip to Instapundit.

Ninety percent of black Democrats support Barack Obama. So that might leave an observer wondering: What the hell is up with that other 10 percent? Are they stupid? Do they hate their own race? Do they not understand the historical import of the moment?

I can shed some insight on this demographic anomaly. In gatherings of black people, I'm invariably the only one for the Dragon Lady. I'll do my best to explain how those of us in the ever-shrinking minority of a minority came to our position.

But, before going any further, let me fully disclose my predispositions. I disliked Obama almost instantly. I never believed the central premises of his autobiography or his campaign. He is fueled by precisely the same brand of personal ambition as Bill Clinton. But, where Clinton is damned as "Slick Willie," Obama is hailed as a post-racial Messiah. Do I believe that Obama had this whole yes-we-can deal planned from age 16? No, I would respond. He began plotting it at age 22. This predisposition, of course, doesn't help me in making the case against Obama, especially not with black people. But, believe me, there's a strong case to be made that he isn't such a virtuous mediator of race. And it's this skepticism about Obama's racial posturing that has led us, the 10 percent, into dissent.

I noted earlier that I already had my issues with Obama. His resume is certainly thin as a politician. Here's a little more:

But, once you stare past the radiant glow surrounding Obama and begin to study the exact reasons for his so-called racial transcendence, you can't help but conclude that it is mostly hokum. Why do black people love Obama? In large part, it's because of the dark-skinned woman on his arm. Black people (especially black women) are nuts for Michelle. Had Barack married a white woman, his candidacy would've never gotten off the ground with black people. And would whites really be so into him if he hadn't had a white mother? Based on U.S. political history, you would have to conclude: not a chance. My suspicion is that people are ultimately comfortable with Obama because a member of his family looks like them--and, if you think about it, that's not terribly transcendent.

I do have to give Barack credit for not catering his campaign to one group by itself. He's got a following amongst the young and it doesn't matter whether or not they are black or white. I must admit however that this paragraph certainly makes a good question as to whether or not people truly like Obama as a Presidential candidate not merely as a man who had a white mother.

Go read the whole thing.

Black College to Have First White Valedictorian

I was trying not to post about this. That's not to say this isn't a good thing, but I certainly have my two cents on this. For one I think it's unfortunate that they have to bring up the man's race.

He's a valedictorian would it have made a difference if he was black. I'd rather hope it wouldn't although unfortunately some people make a big deal about race. Meh I feel wrong for bringing it up so I think I'll stop here.

Congrats to Mr. Josh Packwood. The article via Newsalert (article from a different source to be sure, however, the article that was linked there was formatted sloppily) which is why I post this, although I've seen this on a number of blogs indicates that he has a 4.0 GPA in Economics. A field that I have no doubt is tough because I've taken some Economics courses. It's certainly a job well done and hopefully he'll do big things outside of Morehouse.

I am a Morehouse student, I tend to think of Morehouse as a college on par with some of the best colleges around the nation. It could be on par with Harvard or Yale though Morehouse probably could be compared more favorably to similar small liberal arts colleges around the country as well. I wouldn't sleep on Morehouse and I wouldn't sleep on Mr. Packwood either.

I suppose the only thing you could take away from Morehouse is it's mission of educating black men and perhaps other aspects that might include the black experience in America. Discussions of race might enter most of the course one may take there, but for the most part I doubt that the education you would get beyond race is much different. There is one thing I have seen in the chatter about this story.

The one part about the Morehouse "mystique" where you earned your grades. I saw a comment on one of the many blogs out there about how an exchange student from an Ivy League school almost failed all of his classes. According to the commenter this ole boy had it easy where he was and he had to grind. I'm sure if you talk to enough Morehouse students you will hear about stories such as this.

BTW, the Morehouse College Class of 2008 and I do believe they're called the "renaissance" class since there is a new president and he wants to mold renaissance men will graduate May 18th.

The libertarian generation

Via A Chicago Blog. A blog post discussing the messages of the Harold & Kumar movie franchise. In those films are apparently a libertarian message.

Addition: Over at A Chicago Blog a petition in support of a constitutional convention in Illinois. I think I'll sign that myself. Just practicing what I preach.

Trinity of Hell!

I showed you a video of this minister a few months ago. Pastor James Manning is back throwing around flames against Jeremiah Wright, Oprah Winfrey and Sen. Obama. I may have my issues with Obama, but is this extra stuff necessary. I'm going to guess that he has no proof when he says that Obama has had a homosexual affair with his pastor and that Oprah's a lesbian. This video is trash and even worse spoken by a minister.

Via Newsalert!

Chicago City Council Committee Stands Against Possible War in Iran

Wow! Local politics takes a preemptive strike against any future military actions in the Middle East. Oh my I'm so happy Chicago's City Council is taking a stand on something that they ultimately wouldn't be at the table for making a decision anyway. Certainly there are things much closer to home that needs to get done. CPR:

Chicago City Council committee says it officially opposes a future U-S led attack on Iran. In a hearing today, 49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore said Chicago residents can't afford another war.

MOORE: It is Chicago's sons and daughters who will be asked to fight and perhaps give their lives in a war against Iran. It is Chicago's tax payers who will be asked to spend billions of dollars on another unncessary and costly war.

Supporters of the resolution testified they feel the U-S is taking the same steps with Iran that led to the ongoing war in Iraq. 11th Ward Alderman James Balcer questioned the resolution.

BALCER: If they have sanctuaries in there for terrorists that are building up supplies, we have a right and an obligation to protect our troops and to take out those sanctuaries.

Balcer was the only mEmber to vote against the resolution. The full City Council is expected to vote on it tomorrow.

Oh my there goes the friend of Craig Gernhardt and Tom Mannis again he might want to keep his eye at home instead. That's not to say I know what's going on in the 49th but we might need him to work on solutions in Chicago. There are certainly issues worth tackling int he city.

Chicago alderman hopes to force vote to repeal foie-gras ban

Joe Moore tends to get ragged up there in the 49th Ward. Craig Gernhardt and Tom Mannis goes after him pretty good up there. Of course most of us in the city may not know much about the dynamics up there in his ward. What we do know about him is the big box ordinance in 2007 and the foie-gras ban. Well if the city council has its way he won't even have that:

Aldermen opposed to Chicago's controversial restaurant ban on foie gras said they will try to force a vote Wednesday to repeal the measure, which gained the City Council widespread notoriety since its approval two years ago.

Noting opposition to the ban from the restaurant industry, Ald. Thomas Tunney (44th) said Tuesday he would take action to force a council vote to overturn the measure. The legislation prohibits restaurants from serving the delicacy made from the enlarged livers of geese and ducks.

"We think we have the votes to do it," Tunney said of the repeal effort.

Tunney, a strong ally of Mayor Richard Daley, has dismissed the ban as "the silliest law the City Council has ever passed," and warned that it could stifle economic development in the city.

The Illinois Restaurant Association, led by former Daley chief of staff Sheila O'Grady, challenged the ban in court. But last year a federal judge dismissed the restaurant group's lawsuit, ruling that the city had a constitutional right to enact the measure.

Ald. Joe Moore (49th) sponsored the ban at the urging of animal-rights groups. On Tuesday, he decried Tunney's parliamentary maneuver to force another vote.

"There's really no reason to bring this up again," Moore said. "Restaurants continue to survive and thrive. I can't think of one restaurant that has closed because of this."

Foie gras, once a staple in some of Chicago's most upscale restaurants, is produced by inserting tubes down the necks of geese and ducks. The birds are then force fed to expand their livers to as much as 10 times normal size.

The ban was passed in April 2006 by a 48-1 vote. But Tunney noted Tuesday that there was no discussion of the measure on the council floor before the vote. The ban was passed in an "omnibus" vote at the end of a meeting, packaged together with other ordinances considered to be routine.

Surely if you want to think about the animals there are much more effective ways of eliminating foie-gras as a delicacy than passing a law or ordinance where there are certianly more pressing issues to consider. I know to say that is easy, but too bad that we're discussing it now even if it is a silly law!

Rebecca Walker On How Her Mother’s Feminism Affected Her Life

This is a very compelling article I had actually found yesterday via The State of. If you don't know Alice Walker is the author of the book The Color Purple. Check it out when you get the first opportunity.

Anyway duaghter Rebecca certainly has her own feelings on growing up a Walker. A daughter of a feminist and Jewish man who had come out of the second world war and the Holocaust. If you read Rebecca's story there is certainly a conclusion to be made with regards to how "ideology" played a role in raising a kid. I suppose the lesson here is ideology and background isn't a substitute for being a good parent. Read on:

Walker had also joined the early feminist movement — Gloria Steinem is Rebecca’s godmother — and it was her politics, more than anything, that shaped mother-daughter relations. The so-called “first wave” feminists believed that housework was another form of slavery and that women did not have an innate need to nurture but had been conditioned into their subordinate role as wives and mothers through centuries of patriarchy.

“My mother is very ideologically based, and her ideology is much more important in many ways than her personal relationships,” says Rebecca.

When Rebecca became pregnant at 14, Walker wasn’t shocked: she calmly picked up the phone and arranged an abortion. “Her feminist thing was about empowering me to have an active sexuality and to be in control of my body, and that trumped any sense of boundaries,” Rebecca says.

Certainly, Walker believed that what she was doing was right. Leaving her teenaged daughter to “do her own thing” was a way of fostering Rebecca’s independence and avoiding inadvertently passing down patriarchal values.

“Her circle were questioning power relationships and whether a mother had any more knowledge than a child. Some friends of hers were living on communes. I know those kids and they’re totally screwed up.

“Some were sexually abused, all kinds of bad stuff happened, but even those who survived intact don’t want to create communes for their children. They didn’t want to be raised by 10 different parents — again, it was this ideological thing trumping the maternal instinct.”

Towards the end of senior school, an ecstatic Rebecca showed Walker her offer letter from Yale. Instead of celebrating her daughter’s success in landing a place at one of the world’s top universities, Walker asked her coolly why she wanted to go to a bastion of male privilege.

Rebecca went to Yale anyway, and started thinking about feminism for herself. Her first book examined what feminism meant to young women and what role it played in the modern world. “When I began to challenge status quo feminism, my mother started to feel very injured,” she says. “To have a daughter who was questioning feminism — it was seen as a threat. Imagine Margaret Thatcher having a hippie child who wanted to live in India and become a Hare Krishna. It was that kind of schism.

“I keep telling people feminism is an experiment. And just like in science, you have to assess the outcome of the experiment and adjust according to your results, but my mother and her friends, they see it as truth; they don’t see it as an experiment.

“So that creates quite a problem. You’ve got young women saying, ‘That didn’t really work for me’ and the older ones saying, ‘Tough, because that’s how it should be’.”

...

The final showdown happened while Rebecca was pregnant, and is chronicled in her new book, Baby Love — a diary of her pregnancy in which she explores modern women’s dilemmas about relationships and motherhood.

Having been raised to believe that “it’s not nature, it’s nurture”, she was not prepared for the strength of her feelings for her baby. “I adore him,” she says. “He’s really into running and jumping and he’s very attached to me. It’s all, ‘Mommy, Mommy, Mommy’, and it’s very difficult to leave him.”

People she meets constantly express surprise at what’s happened — surely having a child should have brought her closer to her mother, rather than splitting them asunder? She agrees.

“People don’t really understand how strong ideology can be,” she says. “I think sometimes of that group and that feminism as being close to a cult. I feel I had to de-programme myself in order to have independent thought. It’s been an ongoing struggle. When you have a cult, you have a cult leader who demands a certain conformity . . . And when you have a celebrity who has cultural-icon status, economic power beyond what you can imagine, you can’t resist that person — if you want to stay in their realm. Because once you start challenging them, they kick you out.”

I've probably given plenty away but go ready the whole thing. Daddy Walker is not absolved although he seems to be a little more sensible than Alice although I must say I don't know everything about that dynamic amongst both parents and Rebecca so I can't say too much. I suppose this feminism in this article concerns me. Almost the type that stifles reason.

It seems that if you go too radical with a theory feminism is a theory or perhaps several theories lumped under one name the results could be problematic. Rebecca calls it an experiment but them I suppose before you can experiment you have to have a theory. Of course the problem is less that you're dealing with an experiment/theory as you are with the results. One can't just deal with what ought to be.

South Africa's unseemly alliance

Another update about Zimababwe. One word that could be brought to mind on this issue especially thanks to the turmoil going on in that nation as they determine who will be the President there, enabler. From the LA Times:

The tendency to compare contemporary political events to the Third Reich is called reducto ad Hitlerum, so facile are the alleged similarities and so often is this tactic employed. With that caveat, when I saw a photograph Friday of smiling, garland-laden South African President Thabo Mbeki holding the hand of Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe, I couldn't resist drawing a mental parallel: British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in 1938 waving his copy of the Munich treaty before a crowd of thousands, boasting that he had achieved "peace for our time."

That Mbeki, who last month insisted there was "no crisis" in Zimbabwe, continues to glad-hand Mugabe represents a complete abandonment of moral responsibility. As he provides diplomatic cover, Mugabe's armed thugs roam Zimbabwe's countryside threatening, torturing and killing people believed to have voted for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. The MDC claims 25 of its supporters have been murdered and 40,000 people have been displaced since the March 29 parliamentary and presidential election. The regime has detained journalists and trade union leaders as well as members of the country's electoral commission, the body that verifies election results.

The regime claims that MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, while besting Mugabe, did not poll more than the 50% required for an outright win and has mandated a runoff. Given that the alternative would be an automatic Mugabe victory, Tsvangirai has decided to take part. Yet conditions for a free and fair election clearly do not exist in Zimbabwe. In an interview with the New York Times last week, a member of Mugabe's Politburo implicitly promised war: "We're giving the people of Zimbabwe another opportunity to mend their ways, to vote properly. This is their last chance."

And yet, as the world looks to South Africa for political leadership (as it is the region's economic powerhouse), Mbeki stands idly by. In fact, his methods of dealing with the tyrant to his north -- supplying cut-rate electric power, issuing nary a word of criticism, siding with Russia and China to prevent the dispatch of a U.N. envoy to report on postelection violence -- has exacerbated the political and humanitarian crisis.

Why has Mbeki acted this way?

National liberation movements rule the roost in much of southern Africa: Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa are all governed by political parties that emerged from armed revolutionary movements, and their leaders tend to close ranks when one is threatened. The leaders of South Africa's ruling African National Congress fear a domino effect, in which the fall of a sister liberation movement could portend a similar fate for its own political fortunes. "If Zimbabwe 'falls,' South Africa will be the next target," South African historian R.W. Johnson wrote recently in the London Review of Books.

Zimbabwean writer Blessing-Miles Tendi, writing in the Guardian, offered another explanation for South Africa's inertia: Mbeki owes Mugabe a political debt. Mugabe could have seized Zimbabwe's white-owned farms in the 1990s but resisted, in part because of pressure from the ANC, then trying to convince South Africa's whites that they would not lose their land in a post-apartheid dispensation.

Article via Instapundit.

The NYPD's Secret Crusade Against Marijuana Furthers a Racist Agenda

This Village Voice article was found via Newsalert:

I have been intermittently reporting on the NYPD for half a century—sometimes admiringly, as when I spent several weeks with a homicide squad on the Lower East Side, learning how (in contrast to the CIA's current methods) confessions that will hold up in court can be obtained by detectives without laying a hand on the suspect. And I've also written critically about the police, as well as various commissioners. But I have never seen such systematic dishonesty and contempt for the law as those documented in the 102-page report, "Marijuana Arrest Crusade: Racial Bias and Police Policy in New York City 1997-2007," by Professor Harry Levine of Queens College and Deborah Peterson Small, executive director of Break the Chains.

In 2007 alone, there were 39,700 misdemeanor arrests for the possession of small amounts of marijuana. But such possession hasn't been a crime in New York State since the Marijuana Reform Act of 1977. Under that law, which is still in effect, an offender can usually expect to get only a ticket, punishable by a fine of not more than $100.

But most of the 353,000 New Yorkers arrested for having these small amounts from 1997 to 2006 got much more than a ticket: They were handcuffed, photographed, and fingerprinted, held overnight, arraigned in criminal court, plagued with permanent criminal records, and charged with the crime of having marijuana "burning or open to public view."

Since most of these people arrested had the pot hidden in a pocket, backpack, or purse, how did these stop-and-frisks turn into an arrest for "burning" marijuana" or having it "open to public view"?

As "Marijuana Arrest Crusade" demonstrates, this is done "by tricking and intimidating" suspects to take out the concealed marijuana, so that police officers can then claim they saw it "open to public view." In fact, a longtime Legal Aid supervisor quoted in the study says that this process happens "all the time." And such routine deception by the police to set someone up for arrest on a criminal-misdemeanor charge is perfectly legal.

There is much more detailed information in the report on the impact of these arrests, which—as described in last week's column— greatly and disproportionately affect black and Latino youths. Part 7, "Head Start for Unemployment and Prison," notes that these arrests "can limit the opportunity for young people to obtain employment and access to some schools, and for student aid."

Please don't take this article as an endorsement of marijuana. I've made posts at certain points during the course of the year with consideration of decriminalizing drugs. Of course this piece should remind you of another post I made where a family finds itself entangled in the criminal justice system because of incarcerated informants looking for a way out of prison sooner. There's should be no doubt even if this country accepts the need to continue the criminalization of drugs that there should be some changes made in the system.

BTW, I suggest you go read the whole thing.

Reading the Ron Paul Revolution

I've yet to purchase the book but I thought this column by Instapundit's Glenn Reynolds had a good analysis. In his run for the GOP nomination for President Ron Paul has made an impression. He raised money and he had a nice following, sometimes his following turned me off because I felt some were single minded about supporting him because he wanted to end the war in Iraq. Still I think what he talks about are important reforms in this country.

Here's a quote then I'll have a little more:

Ron Paul’s [1] The Revolution: A Manifesto is an important book. That’s not so much because of the ideas he presents, which are for the most part familiar fare, already addressed at greater length in recent popular treatments of libertarianism by [2] Charles Murray, [3] David Boaz, and [4] James Bovard, among many others. It’s important because Ron Paul’s candidacy has interested a lot of people in libertarian ideas who probably haven’t read those other books, and because their exposure has come not in the context of academic dissatisfaction with the status quo, but in the context of political action. The book benefits from many of the Paul campaign’s virtues, in the form of accessibility, clarity, and straightforwardness. On the other hand, it also suffers from some of the Paul campaign’s vices, about which more later.

My biggest disagreement, and that of many libertarians with Paul, involves national security. Paul and I are both libertarians, but of different varieties. Paul is an old-fashioned Rothbardian. I’m more of a Heinleinian libertarian and we, like the Randian libertarians, tend to view national defense as more important than the Rothbardians do. Paul’s view, essentially, is that if we quit sending troops abroad, other people and countries would quit wanting to kill us. I’m not particularly persuaded by this. First, even during the minimal-government era of Thomas Jefferson we wound up at war with the Barbary Pirates (in many ways, the spiritual antecedents of today’s Islamic terrorists). And second, Paul is not an isolationist - he favors much more commercial and cultural engagement with foreign countries, something which, if experience is any guide, is as likely to anger Islamic fundamentalists and other varieties of terrorists and tyrants as is the establishment of foreign bases.

Beyond this disagreement - which is a major cleavage among libertarians generally - I find much to agree with. Paul is surely right that the federal government has expanded its powers far beyond anything the Framers contemplated, involving itself in things, like public education, that are best left to the states and to private entities. He is also right that the federal government’s massive expansion is both the cause and the symptom of government corruption, with politicians favoring big government as a source of additional patronage and graft, and with efforts by interest groups to pursue their agendas leading to the creation of new, self-perpetuating bureaucracies (like the Department of Education).

And that corruption is one reason why I disagree with Paul’s pooh-poohing of the Congressional earmarks issue, which he calls a distraction. He’s right, of course, that earmarks themselves account for only a small part of federal spending, with the lion’s share going to entitlements. But earmarks - as Paul, a member of Congress himself, surely knows - are the coin with which the Congressional leadership purchases votes for large spending bills that might otherwise be unlikely to pass. Earmarks also figure prominently in most cases of individual corruption on the part of members of Congess. Ending or controlling earmarks won’t stop wasteful spending, but it will make it easier to counter. Opposing earmarks is an incremental approach to reining in big government, but Paul seems to lack patience with incremental approaches.

I was impressed with Ron Paul's fundraising and his following who like I've said they seemed single minded about one issue Paul certainly supports ending this war in Iraq. Still I like some of his other ideas that include say for instance ending the drug war or abolishing the IRS or returning to the US Constitution as a guide for administering this great nation.

Imagine that we can use the constitution instead of relying on an act of Congress to go to war. Instead of an authorization to go to war in Iraq we could have a declaration of war. A formal declaration and that certainly gives us license to go into Iraq and take over that country. I'm just thinking I'm actually against the war in Iraq not necessarily on those grounds, but only because we already had operations going on in Afghanistan we still do in fact.

My only problem with the current campaign is that most of what I'm hearing has been said before. We always hear about what a Democrat could propose or a Republican. It might always be the liberal or conservative version unfortunately there isn't much action on either side. Even if it does move forward the people might eventually express their dissatisfaction with it especially if it involves higher taxes. On top of that we can consider the rhetoric used to get elected only for that candidate to not govern that way when they do get elected.

Oh, BTW, I know Ron Paul has been pegged as a libertarian, but he's often been pegged as a constitutionist. He believes in the US Constitution as a guide for governing perhaps he might have libertarian beliefs compared to more mainstream conservative Republicans but surely he believes the Constitution is an important document that can't be cast aside for every little fringe issue that exists today.

I should quote one more thing from this column:

Rome didn’t fall in a day, and today’s monster government didn’t spring up overnight. It was the result of incremental expansion. Given that we’re not likely to see an opportunity to downsize the federal government overnight, or even in a single Presidential term, those of libertarian inclinations might well look to incremental approaches to reining in Big Government. They will be well advised, however, to look elsewhere than Revolution: A Manifesto. Still, if Fabian Libertarianism is to have a future, it will owe much to the consciousness-raising of the Paul campaign. Socialist candidate Eugene Debs, after all, never got elected President either, but within a few decades much of his platform was adopted by the Democratic Party. May Paul enjoy similar influence on the future of national politics.

Exactly right! I can compare this to Barack Obama while he may owe his moment today to Shirley Chisolm and Rev. Jesse Jackson I truly believe that Sen. Obama has made it easier for another black man to run for President in the future. Even if Obama fails to garner the Democratic nomination or even doesn't win the President if he is the Democratic nominee.

Surely Ron Paul will do the same for libertarian minded individuals. I just hope that it doesn't become a brand or a lip service as conservatism seems to have become in recent years.

I was watching Gangland on the History Channel

They talked about this Chicago streetgang and their control over a Chicago housing project known as Cabrini Green. A lot of people died there as this gang maintained their control over this territory. Thankfully they don't have the projects to be lords over unfortunately these guys who would normally be in the projects stake out new territory where there are people who are already in control. At that point there's an even bigger mess!

They talked about the history of public housing. As with most things initiated by government such as welfare, social security, etc. they all start with good intentions but after so long things change. Perhaps the resources aren't there or maybe someone is abdicating their responsibilities or perhaps people are gaming the system. In any event something went wrong in Chicago's housing projects where crime and violence flourishes.

They interviewed some police officers in this program and they called it something most of us has heard for years. That we enable fatherless homes because in order for these single women to get their benefits the daddy of her children must not reside in their home. Of course daddy might have to leave for a few days and then he might return because social workers might come by and do an inspection. After a while daddy stops coming around he found him another woman (this is me saying this) or indeed he got tired of that song and dance. Also the fact that welfare provides more benefits the more kids a mother had.

I'm against welfare in general, but it's easy to blame welfare. For that fact that young people turn to gangs for a bond and criminal activity for a living there are a number of factors. One thing is for certain I think it's great that these housing projects are being torn down in favor of much more smaller scale projects.

I often like to tell people, perhaps this is me oversimplifying it, these housing projects along Street to Cabrini Green and others around the city especially the high rises were more or less built with segregation in mind. White aldermen didn't want poor blacks in their wards and then Mayor Richard J. Daley agreed so up went these high rises where snipers resided and kids would meet an early demise. I wonder if one who observed these policies might have concluded that these high rise projects were shortsighted in the first place. The idea certainly at a bare minimum was to house the poor an obvious one of course although another idea was to segregate blacks and keep them concentrated away from white areas. I could also add that some aldermen lost last year because their trusted constituents no long lived their wards because their housing projects were being torn down.

Then the next step is what to do now that we're tearing down public housing projects? Well there are a lot of ways of attacking this problem. We could do work on the education system, I'm of the belief that the system needs to change. One way to change that system is make it work for the children and insure that they learn and then hold these schools accountable when they fail in their mission. I won't make a distinction between the principle and the teachers.

People always talks about jobs as the reason why young people turn to criminal activity. Obviously that's a difficult answer as well, how do we bring jobs into poor neighborhoods. Or better yet can we train these kids to be able to take on a vocation. We know young men like to work on cars so perhaps we can train them to be mechanics or at best we might encourage some to become engineers. I say schools public or private should provide this type of education for students in addition to preparing them for going to college.

There are so many ways to attack a problem so I won't pretend that I have anything resembling all the answers. Perhaps there's not an easy solution. One of the police in that History Channel said that as long as there are poor people there will be gangs and violence. I prefer to take a more optimistic view but I also realize that some people may just as easily be headed for a criminal life no matter how much opportunity exist for them to stay out of trouble.

I should mention I've seen several episode of this program that looks at gangs all over this country. I'm sure there are a few who gets an adrenaline rush from this program, but for me it's a bit depressing as to the state of humanity. Especially when one considers the ill of society that feeds these gangs and the crimes they commit. It almost reads as not only a historical program but a critique of society.

Gangland on the History channel.

A recurring theme apparently

From artistmac...

And to those two plainclothes cops at about 1:45: was a nerd with a video camera the worst criminal in Chicago at that particular moment? Weren't there gangbangers and drug dealers and slumlords and gas station panhandlers and illegal vendors and dogfighters and motorcycles racing down the Ryan at 80mph? Or did crime suddenly take a holiday at 11:30 Saturday morning?

Almost reminds me of this story from friend of the blog Tom Mannis about his encounter with police after he took a photo on a public street. Oh and let me remind you about this post I written. You can take pictures on a public street if you want to whether police are around or not. I would suggest discretion however, be careful out there!

Stability, Advances Mark Howard President's Legacy

I had posted an article that announced the new president of Howard University a prestigious HBCU located in the nation's capital, however, here's an article about the man who's the outgoing President of Howard. He gave his final commencement address as President. From Washington Post:

Shortly after arriving at Howard University as a freshman in the early 1960s, H. Patrick Swygert walked into an auditorium where Malcolm X, spokesman for the Nation of Islam, and civil rights leader Bayard Rustin were debating black integration. The future Howard president became overwhelmed by the exposure to such vigorous black intellectual life and an ethos of leadership and service to the community.

Today, he looks back on his own legacy of leadership and service as he delivers the last commencement speech in his 13-year tenure as president of one of the nation's most prestigious historically black universities, even as his newly named successor, Sidney A. Ribeau, president of Bowling Green State University, is mapping a new route for Howard.

Exactly where Swygert is leaving Howard is a matter of discussion on campus. He exits after a period of strained relations with the Faculty Senate, which recently sent a letter to the Board of Trustees that declared the university was in crisis and called for new leadership.

Others praise Swygert for setting new sights for Howard.

"I think he moved us to the big leagues," said James Johnson, dean of the College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Science. "He set a higher level of expectation of what a university should do, and what faculty and students should do. He pushed students to pursue Rhodes scholarships and Marshall scholarships, and excel. . . . He got us looking at what we can do as a top-tier university."

Swygert, who took over the leadership of Howard in 1995, is credited by many with bringing stability to a campus that had seen five presidents in seven years, declining enrollment and layoffs, a state of affairs all the more startling because of Howard's one of the nation's oldest black universities.

Black Community Is Increasingly Protective of Obama

I found this article via Newsalert:

In black America, oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Bill Clinton is no longer revered as the "first black president." Tavis Smiley's rapid-fire commentaries on a popular radio show have been silenced. And the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., self-described defender of the black church, has been derided by many on the Web as an old man who needs to "step off."

They all landed in the black community's doghouse after being viewed as endangering Sen. Barack Obama's chances of being elected president. And the community's desire to protect the first African American ever to be in this position may only grow with his win in North Carolina and his close loss in Indiana this week.

"I have parents who are still living who are very enthusiastic about Obama," said Valerie Grim, the chair of Indiana University's Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies. "They live in Mississippi. For a time, my parents couldn't vote, and when they could, their only choice was a white person.

"This means more than just saying there's a black person on the ticket. It represents the things they had been denied. It's being able to see the unbelievable, that the impossible might be possible. It represents for them a new day, a new opportunity to see that black people can contribute, on the ultimate level, to the social order."

Go read the whole thing because this article talks about what caused the resignation of journalist Tavis Smiley from the Tom Joyner radio program & the controversy involving Jeremiah Wright.

If Michelle Obama is next first lady ...

Lynn Sweet talks about the role Michelle Obama could play as the First Lady of the United States:

Michelle Obama gave a hint of what her portfolio may be if she becomes first lady at a fund-raiser Friday for Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). Former CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson -- of Plamegate fame -- who has been stumping for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) -- was also a featured speaker.

Obama suggested that if she were to become first lady, she would take on women's and family

"And if I have the honor of becoming the next first lady, I want to continue these conversations like the ones I've had with these incredible women across the country. I want to ensure that their voices don't get drowned out ever again in Washington."

...

I'm used to seeing Michelle deliver stemwinders -- she can be fierce, persuasive, charming, mocking and sarcastic -- but on Friday she was businesslike and read from a text, sort of first lady like. It also made political sense since the crowd included Clinton backers.

The family campaigned together last weekend in Indiana and Obama recalled, "At one point someone asked Malia, our older daughter, what she enjoyed most about the weekend and she said, 'being with my dad,' and it nearly broke my heart."

Mrs. Obama has surely been as much apart of this election as the mantra of her husband's campaign which is hope, change, & a new type of politics. Honestly what I've heard of her or what I've seen of her as far as the campaign goes has given me cause. Don't get me wrong her comments where she said this is the first time she's proud of her country certainly should be kept in context.

She surely misspoke though I'm sure it was in connection with the fact that Americans are going for a man who's part African (well Kenyan, and I make this distinction to avoid calling him a black American) and part white. In a way I'd be proud of that myself, although I would look less at a person's race/ethnicity and consider more this person's plan as President. Still I understand where this comes from although if some wanted to say she suggest that America is a downright mean nation, I would take umbrage at that especially since you know she got an Ivy League education. That should be a blessing.

At times in this campaign I think Obama should pull his wife aside and say to her to slow down. I would go do far as to accuse her of enjoying this attention too much. Of course it must be understood that while we do want to know the politician who wants to be President at the same time we want to know their spouses. Unfortunately a spouse can at times be problematic when unfortunately some of what they may say or do can reflect adversly on their politician significant other.

We may not have to look much further than Bill Clinton's blow up at a rally. He wags his finger at someone who interrupted his speech. There are those who say he needs to shut it and sit down as well.

Boycott and Outcompete the Racists

Here's one way to allow for diversity in hiring in the private sector.

National Train Day!

I've seen news that suggest that there's an interest in upgrading more rail infrastructure. I can only hope that this results in an upgrade for passenger rail. It's a needed service especially as an option against the rising gas prices. Hopefully what's good for freight rail might prove to be good for passenger rail. Consider me a supporter of passenger rail in this country. I suppose in light of the whole fuel price situation being passed onto consumers as far as food for example.

Now go visit the official website for National Train Day. There's certainly a market amongst travelers for passenger rail. I hope that there's some good to come out of this.

Dressed down

Surely a "no-nonsense" commission blessed with a seat on the Cook County board has better things to do than to nitpick over the general appearance of a man who's charged with overseeing an apparently understaffed juvenile facility. I suppose some people have different standards than other and unfortunate some pick perhaps the least important aspect of a person to judge them by. I suppose a person who can bring order into a system that has nothing but negative press can dress however he wants although coming to work nude is out of the question with me. From the Sun-Times:

There's already a laundry list of problems at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, but so far no one has seen the wardrobe of its leader as a problem.

That changed Wednesday when county Commissioner William Beavers delivered a public dressing-down to its director, mockingly asking Earl Dunlap, "Do you own a suit?" while lecturing Dunlap that "your appearance commands respect" and that he's "supposed to be a role model."

Dunlap, wearing a white polo shirt tucked into Dockers pants, chimed back, "I command respect by the way I conduct myself," adding that "the last person I need to be judged by is you."

"I've got bigger fish to fry ... than whether I've got my Armani suit on," Dunlap told reporters later.

Dunlap is a no-nonsense, nationally recognized juvenile center leader brought in by a federal judge to clean up a facility long hindered by patronage and allegations of abuse and filthy conditions.

Beavers, who is Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's floor leader, is a no-nonsense politician, known for his flashy suits and unapologetic support for patronage.

Some of Stroger's advisers seemed to cringe at the criticism.

They's better! I don't think anyone else has hurt the young Stroger more than this man who helped him become Cook County Board President. If it wasn't for Beavers, Stroger would largely be a very unimportant alderman. If there's one thing Stroger should know in being a member of a local political family, it should be to watch your friends and allies although I know Beavers is who he is. Sometimes loyalty can hurt you although it's certainly a good quality.

Oh and I should mention Beaver is expected at least by some local pundits to lose his commissioner's seat in 2010. Almost like his lost his Democratic Committeeman's post to his duaghter's replacement back in February. I wouldn't be surprised if he's re-elected, but strangely enough I would be if Stroger gets re-elected in 2010 as well.

Wrigley Field's name would stay in state deal

While I'm very glad Tribune owner Sam Zell is very much willing to negotiate not only the sale of the Cubs but also the sale of Wrigley Field with the team I don't understand why this deal with the State of Illinois is still being trumpeted. I suppose either way you're going to get the deal you're going to get, but why the push to have the state to by Wrigley. From the Trib:

Chicago Cubs fans who love Wrigley Field's name and historic character will find their passions protected by the state if it swings a deal to buy the North Side ballpark from Tribune Co., former Gov. James Thompson said Wednesday.

"We certainly would want the name to stay Wrigley," said Thompson, who is chairman of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, the state/city agency that is in negotiations to purchase the park.

Asked whether the authority would sell partial naming rights so that the Wrigley Field name would be linked to another corporate moniker, he said, "I presume there are people out there who think so highly of Wrigley Field that they would want to be associated with it and therefore would be willing to pay for that privilege.

"But I have no deals, I haven't heard of any deals," he said. "We would have to test the marketplace."

Thompson reiterated that the authority is proposing to acquire and renovate the aging ballpark without using tax dollars, and he said the renovation would not disturb the park's historic integrity.

"Our objective is to respect the landmark ordinance and to keep the iconic nature and historic nature of Wrigley Field," he said. "So when we're all said and done, I would expect the preservation community to be in favor of our plans and to strongly support them."

Thompson made his remarks late Wednesday afternoon after a special meeting of the IFSA board, where he gave an update on the status of negotiations during a closed-door session. The authority owns and operates U.S. Cellular Field.

I sometimes frown at governmental involvement with sports stadiums of course that's just me. Wrigley Field isn't exactly a public good and it's certainly not excludable. I may not be using those technical terms correctly but you still have to go inside and to do that you have to buy tickets, the price of admission. A public good that isn't excludable to me whould be building a stadium not much different than the one that was supposed to be built in Lincoln Park where a certain private school can call home, however, other people can use the field since it is a public park.

I understand that Wrigley's infrastructure isn't doing that great these days and it's in need of renovation. In fact during the offseason they did change the field installing new draining systems as well as install new turf. Still I would just as soon hope that a private owner can do to Wrigley whatever the state can do with it.

Truth In Politics: Clinton And Superdelegate Math

I actually posted a superdelegate story at The Sixth Ward. I figure why not post another superdelegate story here. A different story that what I had put over there last night. Just a quick note these are the people who even if Sen. Barack Obama has a lead among delegates and in the popular vote the Democratic nomination could easily be handed to Sen. Hillary Clinton. The Democratic National Convention is going to be interesting isn't it? From Channel 2:

Barack Obama is riding high Tuesday night's primaries in North Carolina and Indiana.

Hillary Clinton is down in delegates, cash, and momentum, but she's vowing to remain in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports many superdelegates don't want the public to think they're forcing Clinton to drop out of the race.

Clinton smiled at every stop on the day after losing what many feel was her last chance to stop Obama. Even when a Wednesday night fundraiser was disrupted by people protesting her Mideast policy, she saluted their passion, adding, "I think I've got some pretty passionate supporters myself."

Clinton acknowledged Wednesday that she'd been hoping for a better outcome in Tuesday's primaries. But she's doubling down, putting millions of her own dollars into her campaign and calling on supporters to make the next four weeks count in the five states and Puerto Rico yet to vote.

"I believe I'm the stronger candidate against Sen. McCain and I believe that I'd be the best president among the three of us running," Clinton said. "So, we will continue to contest these elections and move forward."

The New York senator waved off calls for her to drop out after losing North Carolina in a landslide and just barely beating Obama in Indiana, where she had been expected to win easily.

Such calls came from party elders, including former Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern and four superdelegates who on Wednesday endorsed Obama.

Indeed, party leaders who'd love to see Clinton quit don't want to be seen pushing her off the stage for fear of alienating her core supporters -- older women who always vote. Instead, they talk about what might happen next month, when all the primaries are over.

"I'm gonna look at the playing field and if Sen. Clinton isn't close in both the delegate count and the popular vote, I think you're going to see almost all the superdelegates go for Sen. Obama," said uncommitted superdelegate Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pennsylvania).

Howard University has a new president

From Howard's student newspaper The Hilltop:

Sidney A. Ribeau, Ph.D., has been officially named President of Howard University. This current president of Bowling Green State University was the Board of Trustee's unanimous choice. Ribeau will assume presidency on Aug. 1, 2008.

"Howard is a remarkable university, a truly international university and one that has made significant contributions not only in this country but around the world, training principally African Americans for global leadership roles in America and the world," Ribeau said in a press release.

"The Search Committee was very impressed with Dr. Ribeau's credentials and his reputation as a facilitator of change and collegial leader," said Gen. Colin L. Powell, co-chair of the Presidential Search Committee.

Daley asks where is the money for gov's anti-violence plan

I found this thru the Capitol Fax blog today where it was said that Blagojevich will skip a Holocaust observance a